Kinetographic apparatus.



C. Al `LUMIRE. KINBLPOGRAPHIC APPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED MAY 25. 1907.

922,302. Patented :May 18, 1909.

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c. A. LUMIRB. KINETOGRAPHIG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAI 25, 1907.

Mm j@ ym www f mw y ma of e 2. ,w m 2 2 m 9 4m/W i dm o. A. LUMIRE. KINETOGRAPHIG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1907.

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fil/f5 Baz 17 f Z4? fes s e6 l '56 Z/zye/zfar ,u up on two iilms unwin CLAUDE ANTOINE LUMIRE, oF PARIS, FRANCE. i

KINETOGRAPHIC APPARATUS.

spcimen@ of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1909.

Application led lay. 25, 1907. Serial N o. 375,696.

To all whom 'it may concern: l

Be it known that I, CLAUDE ANTOINE LU- MIRE, citizen of the French Republic, residing at Paris, France, Department of the e. Seine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kinetographic- Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has for its object to provide improved apparatus for the photography and the.projection of animated pietures.

In the ordinary kinematograpliie prooesses, a series of successive views is projected, these views having been taken at very close intervals and arranged upon a strip of iilm; an unwinding apparatus, the move.- mentsof which correspond to thato'i the shutter, brings each of the pictures in front of the objective. The projection of each partial view comprises several phases: l. The opening of the shutter. 2. The exposure. 3. The closing of the shutter. 4. The displacement of the film by the length of a picture in order to bring the following picture in front ofthe objective. rEhe third and fourth phases give rise to a period during which the screen is not illuminated. The continuous succession of these phases tires the sight, and to a large extent produces the impression of jerks and vibrations which is given by the kinematograph.

The present invention has for its object to eliminate the obscure periodsin kinematographic projections and to insure the constant and invariably equal illumination of the screen. At the same time it permits of doubling the number of pictures projected during a given period. In this manner, the movements obtained are much smoother; finally the constantillumination of the projection surface prevents the eyes from becoming tired. The means employed for obtaining these results consistsin arranging the successive pictures not u on a single iilm but ing parallelly, the image, which is always projected at the same lace, being taken from one or other of these Elms alternately. To this end a double projection apparatus is employed. One of the iilms unwinds in front of each ofthe two projectors, its movements being regulated in s uch a manner that oneis displaced by the length of a picture while the other is in its projection period.

In order to insure thecontinuous illumination of the screen, the opening and the closing of the two shutters are combined in such a manner that when one of the two shutters is beginning to mask its objective, the other shutter begins to uncover itsobj ective; the movements are regulated in such a way that the masked area of one objective is always equal to the exposed area of the other. 'lhe projection screen thus receives a constant quantity of light, that is to say that which corres onds to the full aperture of one objective. lguring a very short period, the picture projected is composed of variable elements of two successive images illuminated through a portion of their respective objectives, but by reason of the rapidity of the shutters the connection between the two partial images ishardly erceptible, and the two successive images, ta en at intervals of time as close again together asin the ordinary processes, present very slight differences. The negatives of the pictures are similarly taken by means of a double photographic apparatus, the two shutters of which are opened alternately, one of the films being displaced while the other is being exposed. it is not however necessary for this operation to uncover one objective progressively in proportion as the other is masked; it is obvious that this precaution is only useful during the proj ection. Instead of taking the pictures upon two separate iilms, they may be'taken upon one wide ilm, the images produced by the two objectives being then arranged in alternate manner on the two sides of this band.

The following description refers by way of example only, to kinematographs of the- Lumire type; the invention 1s however applicable to any other type of kinematograp In the accompanying drawings: Figures l and la represent two projection apparatus coupled by a universal joint. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively side elevation and sectional view of a slight modiiication.

The unwinding of the films is effected as in the lordinary Lumire kinematograph ap aratus the driving shaft 1 carries a triangu ar or shield-shaped cam 2 communicating a vertical reciprocating movement to a 'metal frame 3 which rests upon the cam by means of two plane surfaces 4 and 5; one of the parts of the triangular cam 2 is constituted y a circular surface 6 having for its center the driving shaft 1, in such a manner that the horizontally;

said metal frame 3 remains in its. vtwo .ex treme .positions for 'a certain tlme. 'llus frame Yd, immovably connected to two arms sliding' 1n slots plate 9 which 1s rection they move in slots 14 and 15 formed in one of the walls 16 of the stand, behind 'which wall the iilm is arranged, its edges bein perforated with a number of holes in whic the pins llsand 12 engage.- In order that this may take place, it is necessary to displace the bar 13 which carries the pins to this end the said bar is providedwith a groove 17 in which the edge of a plate 18 keyed to the driving shaft 1 engages; the edge oi the late comprises two arts 19 and 20 arranged) in different vertica planes and connected one with the other b two inclined su1faces`21, 22 these inclinedlsurfaces are arranged relatively to the trian ular cam 2 in such a manner as to engage in t 1e groove 17 provided in the bar 13 hereinbefore mentioned at the moment at which the metal frame 3 rests with one el' its faces 4 or 5 on vthe circular part 6 of the triangular cam, and

consequently remains at rest. The passage of the mclined surfaces through the last mentioned groove 17 imparts to the bar 13 a horizontal movement' 1n one direction or the other. 'lhis bar 13 istherefore given a vertical reciprocating movement with two stoppages at the extremities of its dis lacements, and at this moment a horizontai)movement which brings the ins 11 and 12 attached thereto into the ho es formed on the edges of `the film, or withdraws them therefrom.

In order that the shutter may be controlled simultaneously, the bar 13 is bent at right angles at one of its extremities, and alsoforms a sort of 'aw 23 in which a fly 24 rotating about a s aft 25 is introduced; the horizontal movements' of the bar 13 cause the fly to pivot about its shaft, and thus by means of any suitable mechanism controls the shutter 26; in `the form of a paratus described (Figs. 1 and 2) the said s aft 25 carries a toothed sector 27 meshing with a pinion 28 keyed upon the shaft ofthe shutter 26.'

The inclined surfaces 21 22 u on the plate which is keyed to the driving s aft 41 are arranged in such a manner that `at the moment at which the exposure' begins, the pins 11` and 12' leave the film and theshutter opens; at the end ofthe exposure the ins seize the film, the shutter is closed an thev bar 13 being moved downward carries'the film along.

The apparatus Iwhich has just been described is coupled with an identical apparatus arranged s inietrically thereto, relatively to the axis A; the same parts are desig- ,natedbythe same characters of reference with the index. 1. The o eration is suc that the cam 2l` upon the c riving shaft 1 o the second apparatus always occu ies a osition diamctrically op osite to t at o the similar cam 2 in the lrst apparatus, that is to say the circular part 6l of the cam 21 begns to act upon the plane surface 5l of the frame 3l in the second apparatus at the moment at which thesurface 6 of the cam 2 .in the first apparatus comes into contact with the surface 4 of the frame 3; it follows j that the film in the second ap aratus is dislaced while the film in the rst a paratus 1s exposed, and that the shutter 26l 1s closing while the other 26 is opening. The two apparatus may e coupled, for exam le by a universal joint 29 comprising a hol ow tube 3() in which two sloits 31 are formed. In this tube there slides a cylindrical part 32 provided with two tenons 33 engaged in slots 31 and also limiting the extension of the joint. This universal -oint permits of re ulating the direction o the l objectives of t e two apparatus, which pro- 90 ject their pictures exactly at the same place.

Figs. 3 'and 4 show on a larger scale, a modified form of device for controlling the shutter 26. This shutter is deplaceable around a shaft 34 and is irnnlovably fixed to an arm 35 u on which a rigid rod 36 is fixed. This rod 36 1s displaced by the bar 13 which carries the pins 11 and 12,l in the horizontal direction, a groove 37 formed in a boss 38 on the said bar 13 enabling the ri id rod 36 to. follow 'this movement. This atter rod is prolonged as far as the lower extremity of the grooves 14 in which the pins move, in such a manner as to remain 1n the groove 37 until the end of the travel ofthe bar 13 so that it is alwayscontrolled by this part.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for exposingthe films preparatory for use for projection purposes, it bemg usual to employ u twin objectives, the light being controlled 110 by shutters having exposure apertures arranged in diametrically opposite relation to enable the objectives to take the pictures alternately. v I

Having thus described and ascertained 115 the nature of-my invention and inwhat manner the same may be performed, I declare that what I claim is:

1. A projection apparatus comprising a pair of projectors, exposure controlling -120 shutters for the respective projectors, and a controlling connection between the shutters including a universal joint that permits relative angular adjustment of the optical axes of the projectors.

2. A projection apparatus comprising a air of view projecting devices embodying lm engaging mechanisms, shutters for the respective devices, and an operativeconnection between the shutters and film ad- 130 pair of projecting devices, film operating mechanism lor each projecting device, shutters for the respective films, operating mechanism on each projecting device for actuating its respective film and cooperating the latter.

shutter, and a universal joint connecting the operating mechanism of the two projectors and permitting relative angular adjustment of the latter.

pair of independently mounted projecting devices, iilm operating mechanism thereon, shutters on the respective projecting devices, and means for relatively timing the operation of the shutters including a uniadjustment of the projecting devices.

5. A projection apparatus comprising a pair of projecting devices, film operating mechanism thereon, independent shutters on the respective projecting devices, operi ating shafts for relatively timing the operations of the shutter and its cooperating film, and means for causing alternate opening and closing of the respective shutters and including a universal oint that permits i acter mounted to operate longitudinally of the 4. A projection apparatus comprising a relative angular adjustment of the projecting devices.

6. Film operating mechanism for apparatus of the character described, comprising a member reciprocal longitudinally of the 1 ilm, a device for engaging and disengaging .1 said member relatively to the iilm', and a shutter operable by said member between the periods of longitudinal movement of 7 Film operating mechanism of the chardescribed, comprising a member film and having means for engaging and disengaging the latter, a device for moving said member transverse to the plane of the ,i film at intervals between the periods of longitudinal movement thereof to alternately engage and disengage the iilm, and versal joint which permits relative angular a shutter operatively connected to and 1 actuated by the said member and timed to open and close during the relative transverse movements of said member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- IICSSGS CLAUDE ANTOINE LUMIRE. Witnesses:

Y. TissEX,

URI FRANCOIS- 

